Russia's essence, captured in sand

Tottori, Japan

Karen Fralich of Canada finishes a sand sculpture named "Mammoth under the glacier," at the Sand Museum in the Tottori Dune in Tottori, Japan, April 3, 2014.

The 7th annual sand sculpture exhibition, hosted by the world's first sand museum, features the theme "Russia" this year in tribute to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. The exhibition is open from April 19, 2014 to Jan. 4, 2015.

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Tottori, Japan

Guy Deveau of Canada finishes a sand sculpture named "Soviet Union," at the Sand Museum in the Tottori Dune.

Credit: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images

Tottori, Japan

Leonardo Ugolini of Italy finishes a sand sculpture named "Saint Basil Cathedral & Moscow Kremlin," at the Sand Museum in the Tottori Dune.

Credit: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images

Tottori, Japan

Sand sculptors finish a sand replica at the Sand Museum in the Tottori Dune.

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Tottori, Japan

Alexey Shchitov of Russia (R) finishes a sand sculpture named "Power of Cossacks" as Brad Goll of the U.S.A. looks at the Sand Museum in the Tottori Dune.

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Tottori, Japan

Niall Magee of the Ireland finishes a sand sculpture named "Russian science technology and Space exploration," at the Sand Museum in the Tottori Dune.

Credit: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images

Tottori, Japan

Karen Fralich of Canada finishes a sand sculpture named "Mammoth under the glacier" at the Sand Museum in the Tottori Dune.

Credit: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images

Tottori, Japan

Susanne Ruseler of Holand finishes a sand sculpture named "Russian musical culture-Tchaikovsky and ballet dancers" at the Sand Museum in the Tottori Dune.

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Tottori, Japan

Jill Harris of the U.S.A. (L) finishes a sand sculpture named "Russian literature Tolstoy and his work -- War and Peace" as Thomas Koet of the U.S.A. helps at the Sand Museum in the Tottori Dune.

Credit: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images

Tottori, Japan

Ruslan Korovkov of Bruges finishes a sand sculpture named "Russina Icon," as an employee transports sand at the Sand Museum in the Tottori Dune.

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Tottori, Japan

Sue Mcgrew of the U.S.A. finishes a sand sculpture named "Reception of Orthodox Church," at the Sand Museum in the Tottori Dune.

Credit: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images

Tottori, Japan

Zhang Yan of China finishes a sand sculpture named "Siberian Railway and Vladivostok as the capital of far East," at the Sand Museum in the Tottori Dune.

Credit: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images

Tottori, Japan

Karen Fralich of Canada finishes a sand sculpture named "Mammoth under the glacier," at the Sand Museum in the Tottori Dune.

Credit: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images

Tottori, Japan

Guy Deveau of Canada finishes a sand sculpture named "Soviet Union," at the Sand Museum in the Tottori Dune.

Credit: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images

Tottori, Japan

Leonardo Ugolini of Italy finishes a sand sculpture named "Saint Basil Cathedral & Moscow Kremlin," at the Sand Museum in the Tottori Dune.